International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Violence: June 4th
Established by the United Nations following the emergency session of the UN General Assembly on 19 August 1982, the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Violence underscores the need to give special attention and priority to children’s rights worldwide and to protect this sensitive and vulnerable group from all forms of violence, including war and armed conflict, aggression, sexual abuse and assassination. |
At the aforementioned session, which focused on protecting Palestinian and Lebanese children from the aggression of the Israeli regime during the Lebanon War, the United Nations General Assembly decided to observe the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Violence on 4 June each year, with the aim of protecting the rights of Lebanese children.
The primary objective of the annual observance of the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Violence is to draw the attention of governments, organizations and the international community to the devastating effects of violence, particularly armed conflict, on children’s lives.
Involving children in military operations and armed conflicts; exploiting them as soldiers; subjecting them to sexual abuse; generating income through their exploitation; and forcing them to work from a very young age in occupations that cause serious harm to their physical and psychological well-being are all forms of violence that require serious attention and decisive action by countries.
As part of efforts to protect children, the Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1989. All Member States have voted in favour of the Convention, with the exception of the United States.
The preamble to the Convention states: “Respect for human dignity requires that children be regarded as human beings with rights equal to those of adults. The enjoyment of equal rights by children requires comprehensive protection for them.” This statement best illustrates the purpose of designating this international day.
Following the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, two Optional Protocols were adopted in subsequent years, addressing the prohibition of the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, and the establishment of 18 as the minimum age for children’s participation in armed conflict.
